Five remarkable Loyalist College alumni recognized with Premier’s Awards nominations

Belleville, Ontario, Nov. 3, 2022 – A celebrated photojournalist; a champion for hospice care; a passionate mental health advocate; an innovator in correctional services; and a leader in banking – Loyalist College is proud to recognize five outstanding graduates nominated for the 2022 Premier’s Awards.

The Premier’s Awards are presented annually by Colleges Ontario to honour the important social and economic contributions college graduates make within the province and around the world. Colleges may nominate alumni in seven categories: Apprenticeship, Business, Community Services, Creative Arts and Design, Health Sciences, Recent Graduate and Technology.

“Our nominees for this year’s Premier’s Awards embody Loyalist College’s caring, engaging, inclusive, creative, and accountable values,” said Mark Kirkpatrick, Acting President of Loyalist College. “They are strategic thinkers, visionaries, and disruptors who have driven change in both their industries and communities. We are proud to have these remarkable leaders representing our College and standing as powerful examples of what Loyalist graduates are capable of achieving.”

The Premier’s Awards will be presented on November 28, 2022, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. This year, Loyalist College’s nominees include:

Business Category – Stephen Gaskin
Real Estate Assessment, Appraisal and Management, 1985

Stephen Gaskin is Senior Vice President of B.C. & Yukon Region at Scotiabank, overseeing a multi-year effort to significantly grow Scotiabank’s presence in B.C. and the Yukon. Core to this work is his leadership on equity and policy development issues, which stem from his involvement in community relations and corporate governance. He has served as Board Director of Scotia Securities Inc., Board Director of the Scotiabank capital accumulation plans committee, as an Advisory Board member for the Scotiabank Women Initiative and as a Member of Scotiabank’s Veterans network.

Community Service Category – Henry Saulnier
Community and Justice Services, 1992

A 2013 recipient of the Governor General of Canada’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal, Henry Saulnier is a model of integrity and creative thinking in the field of corrections. As warden of Millhaven Institution, Henry manages the operations for a federal maximum-security facility with a capacity of nearly 500 inmates and is at the forefront of implementing novel engagement models for structured intervention unit inmates.

Creative Arts & Design Category – Chris Donovan
Photojournalism, 2017

Chris Donovan is an award-winning photojournalist whose images have been exhibited in more than 40 countries globally and across Canada, and featured in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Globe and Mail. Chris’s work focuses on the intersection of industrialization and community. Chris is the youngest-ever winner of the Photojournalist of the Year award by the News Photographers Association of Canada. For his work documenting basketball in Flint, Michigan, he was awarded the first-place prize in the World Press Photo Foundation’s 2021 World Press Photo Contest.

Health Sciences Category – Jennifer May-Anderson
Broadcast Journalism, 1996

Jennifer May-Anderson has been described as a “non-profit whisperer,” a strategic thinker, a storyteller and a problem-solver, capable of driving change despite seemingly insurmountable odds. As executive director of Hospice Quinte, she guided the organization through the Heart and Home Building Campaign, a $9.5-million capital fundraising project to build the Stan Klemencic Care Centre (SKCC). The centre is a six-bed facility equipped with state-of-the-art technology and 15 new staff who provide world-class palliative care to the Bay of Quinte region. Despite a global pandemic, the SKCC was completed on time and under budget, opening its doors in 2021.

Recent Graduate Category – Sarah Routhier
Business Administration, 2022

When her husband – OPP officer Sylvain “Roots” Routhier – took his own life in 2018 after experiencing job-related trauma and depression, Sarah Routhier changed the trajectory of her life to become a passionate advocate for mental health. After writing and publishing the mental health memoir “Don’t Forget Your ROOTS,” she founded The Sylvain Routhier Memorial Foundation, a non-profit with a mandate to raise awareness and provide support for first responders’ mental health. Over the last five years, Routhier’s tireless advocacy and passion have created ripples of change in the lived experiences of first responders across Ontario. Sarah opened My Sister’s Boutique, a new business in Belleville’s Quinte Mall, on Oct. 31, 2022.

About Loyalist College 

Loyalist College is located on the territory of the Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, and the Haudenosaunee people. We acknowledge our shared obligation to respect, honour, and sustain these lands and the natural resources contained within. Ranked one of Canada’s top 50 research colleges, Loyalist College empowers students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. As Ontario’s Destination College, the College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist College offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com, including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist College is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 3.8 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $396.3 million annually to the regional economy – based on an October 2021 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist College’s Belleville, Bancroft and Toronto campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit loyalistcollege.com.

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Contact:
Braden Root-McCaig
Director of Marketing and Communications
647-523-4300
brootmccaig@loyalistcollege.com